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Loading... Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World (edition 2009)by Douglas Hunter
Work InformationHalf Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World by Douglas Hunter
![]() None No current Talk conversations about this book. ![]() Undoubtedly this is a must-have for any historian or history book collector, and those curious of shipping in that time of Hudson. But, also, without a doubt, this book shines poorly on Henry Hudson, making him seem aloof as a captain, and a somewhat accidental adventurer. His first trip to America (or in this case, Newfoundland and the future New York area), would cause bloodshed for natives in LaHave, and later, the death of a crewman during a botched trade. And more death when Natives became more suspicious of the voyagers. Most of the book does deal with the explorations by the Half Moon and crew, and touches briefly with the Hopewell voyage prior, and the disastrous Discovery voyage later. Once involved, it seemed that the ending of the book was too short, yet with little that is known of the latter trip to America, it is natural that it should be thus. The book is plodding, but if you can read Tom Clancy, then this is an obvious read. And again, it is a cornucopia of words and fact. In the end, a once trivial man becomes a poor man of fate. ![]() As it turns out, Mr. Hudson is a bit of a rogue. He has the traits you might expect of a 15th century sea captain - he is secretive, driven, a bit brutal and myopic. It is these characteristics and the crew mixture that drive the results of each voyage...good or bad. I won't give this away here. The book was informative and I learned a great deal about the voyages that I had not learned growing up (including some obvious facts that schools should include). For me, the book was more detailed than I would have hoped, but for a 15th century history buff...probably just about right. ![]() ![]() Overall, it was a worthwhile read, but it took me a long time to get through it because I kept losing interest. I must say that the second half of the book seemed to move along much more smoothly than the first half. no reviews | add a review
Recounts how Henry Hudson defied orders to find an eastern passage to China by redirecting his voyage along the coastline from Spanish Florida to the Grand Banks, an effort that laid a foundation for New York's establishment as a global capital. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumDouglas Hunter's book Half Moon was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)910.92History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography and Travel History, geographic treatment, biography - Discovery. exploration Geographers, travellers, explorers regardless of country of originLC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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To begin with, Hudson was a man who at the least found ways to get financial backing for his projects by selling investors on what they wanted to hear. At most he might have been one of the all-time great snake oil salesmen with a gift of relieving the gullible of their funds to finance his own projects. As the final years of his life approached, he probably had many places he avoided and there were few locations in the western world where he could go without facing major consequences to his actions.
Henry Hudson was an Englishman, not a Dutchman, and how he came to be working for the Dutch VOC investors is a good story in itself. Having had some success in his ventures, he comes up with a scheme to get funds to go where he wants to go and do what he wants to do, not exactly what his investors have paid him for. There is speculation, as well as some circumstantial evidence, that he may have been a “double agent”, actually being protected and/or reimbursed by English interests at the expense of the Dutch. Douglas Hunter astutely points out that it was only in the years afterwards, when claims were disputed over which country actually could claim rights to the new world, that more than one country claimed Henry Hudson was working for them and that they were the ones who sent him out on the mission. In actuality, the Dutch East India Company sent him in the complete opposite direction and we don’t know for certain if Hudson even had the same objective as his backers.
One interesting and completely overlooked item of interest on Hudson’s voyage has been the crew manifest. Can you expect a good outcome when you sail off with a bunch of pirates who are lying in wait for the captain to make a mistake? Perhaps Henry Hudson was the greatest pirate of all on board, pulling off greater (corporate) thefts, more than simply taking what could be pilfered on the high seas and at ports of call. The author has some interesting observations and speculations on the crew, too. Who were Robert Juet and John Colman and what did they bring to the voyage in terms of skills, distractions, or drama? If the author’s speculations are even partially correct, then Hudson was sailing off into the perfect storm, with his fate already sealed although he managed to put it off for a while. It was only a matter of time until his crew sent him and his teenage son out to their cruel end. The crew turned up later with all the messy details of Hudson’s fate neatly tied up and, as a consequence, no one was punished. Stories persisted in later years that Hudson’s son may have been rescued and joined up with the Inuit or First Nations but that has never been proven. Perhaps DNA could prove this is so one day.
What makes Hunter’s contribution so valuable, at least to me, is that he knows maritime navigation, maps, tides, and 17th century sailing and navigation procedures. What makes the Hudson River one of the most unusual rivers in the world and why did the Native Americans call it “The River That Flows Both Ways”? What is it about the Hudson River and nearby geography that made it impossible to hop into a 17th century sailing ship and zip through the bays, then head up the river? What took them so long? Why is there salt water so many miles to the north of the outlet of the Hudson, oftentimes days north toward the freshwater source? The author patiently takes the time to explain this to us so we can fully understand what a monumental undertaking it was for Hudson to push forward, trying to make sense of readings that were nothing like what an experienced navigator had come to expect.
In particular, Douglas Hunter’s excellent maps and illustrations of the sailing ship are extremely helpful in understanding the challenges and issues confronting Hudson and his crew. Henry Hudson was indeed a brave man, especially if you consider that he set out with overly optimistic myths about the weather, incredibly inaccurate maps, fear and ignorance, as well as plain old callous indifference to the numerous indigenous people he would encounter along the way, many of them well-armed. Even so, he refused to turn back until it was all too clear that his ship could proceed no further.
Perhaps I have a special interest in that Hudson is a family name and I have spent a good deal of time on and in the Hudson, from the headwaters in the Adirondack Mountains to New York’s bays, and points in between. I have also spent time on several 17th century sailing ship replicas and have a special interest in the beginnings of our country, in particular, the beginnings of New Amsterdam where New York City is today. What I really enjoy though, is a good investigation, especially a historical one. Like unraveling a good mystery, investigation is busting the old myths and bringing an already interesting story into three-dimensional relief. We can thank Douglas Hunter for giving us a new perspective and understanding of our history. (